There are limitless ways to workout, and I am sure I will never experience every possible rendition of moving my body. However, there are a few things I have been exposed to that I really, really enjoy. One of the specific things we incorporate in our workouts at Restoration Fitness that I personally love to do, are complexes. A complex is essentially a string of exercises that flow from one to the next, and they most often involve some type of olympic lift (but they don't have to). There are a few ways you can complete complexes:
- The most traditional way is the string 3-5 exercises together, complete them as fast as you can, take at least equal rest to how long it took you to complete the complex, and repeat it again 3-6 times, depending on the amount of reps you do with each exercise.
- Another fun method is to string the exercises together and just keep going until you either reach a specific time (and you record the number of reps you get) or you commit to doing a certain number of reps (and record how long it takes you for 4 sets for example). You can also get more information on the effectiveness of this type of workout on the Metabolic Effect website.
Here are a couple of sample complexes you can do at home with little to no equipment:
Complex Workout 1: Choose 1 set of dumbells that you can bicep curl 5 times but not 8 times. Start a timer for 10 minutes and see how many total reps of each exercise you can complete going straight from one exercise to the next. Take rest if you have to, but do not lower the resistance, even if you have to lower the reps.
8 Alternating Reverse Lunges
8 Bentover Rows
8 Squat to over Press
8 Push-Ups
Complex Workout 2: This is a nice body weight circuit you can do anywhere. Set a timer and see how fast you can complete the following 4 exercises. Rest for the same time it takes you to complete the complex, and repeat 3-6 times seeing if you can match or better your time with each repetition!
15 Squats
10 Burpees
15 Push-Ups
30total Mountain Climbers
Enjoy!